1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to a housing assembly for an electrical connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrical connectors are used in a wide variety of different applications. The use of standardized electrical connectors provides an easy and convenient method for establishing an electrical connection between two separate elements of an electrical circuit. The use of such electrical connectors is well known in the art. Known electrical connectors can, however, present difficulties in the manufacturing process. In some applications, one of the two mateable electrical connectors must be mounted at a desired orientation to facilitate the mating of the cooperating electrical connector therewith. For example, many military vehicles have a communication system that utilizes a first electrical connector that is mounted within the vehicle with the first connector positioned at a particular orientation. A communication device having a second electrical connector can be deployed with the vehicle by detachably connecting the second electrical connector with the first electrical connector.
When installing the first electrical connector in such an application, the mounting of the first electrical connector at the desired orientation presents a difficult manufacturing task. Typically such a connector is connected to a group of wires that extend through a rigid conduit and into a hollow rigid body on which the connector is secured. The connector is typically screwed into the fixedly mounted body by the engagement of helical threads on both the hollow rigid body and the connector.
This presents two main difficulties. First, there is generally a limit on the amount of “twist” that can be exerted on the wires in communication with the connector during threaded installation of the connector on the rigid body. Second, it is unlikely that the helical threads on the connector and rigid body will “bottom out” and tightly secure the connector at the desired rotational orientation. To overcome these difficulties, the wires may need to be “pre-twisted” in the opposite direction relative to the twisting that the wires experience during installation of the electrical connector prior to joining the wires to the connector. The connector will also generally have to be fixed relative to the rigid body by coating the threaded connection between the connector and rigid body with an adhesive to secure the connector to the rigid body in the desired rotational orientation. These steps complicate the installation of the electrical connector and increase the amount of labor required for the installation. Moreover, once the electrical connector has been installed, if the electrical connector is subsequently rotated relative to the rigid body, e.g., by the end user attempting to adjust the rotational position of the electrical connector or disassemble the device for maintenance, the adhesive bond between the threads on the electrical connector and the rigid body will be broken. Once the adhesive bond is broken, the electrical connector will no longer be fixed in a particular rotational position and vibrations may cause the rotational position of the electrical connector to shift over time.